Hiring manager at a tech company. Done well over 100 interviews this year. The mistakes are remarkably consistent. Not researching the company. I ask "what do you know about us?" in every first round. Roughly 40% give a…
The follow-up email is one of the most underused tools in job hunting. It keeps you top of mind and signals genuine interest. Here's the format that's worked for me. Send it within 24 hours: Subject: Thank you, [Role]…
Had my first panel interview last year and nearly shut down completely when I walked in to find four people behind a table. Here's what helped. Eye contact: Answer the person who asked the question, but sweep eye contac…
I've conducted over 60 video interviews in the past year. Here are the mistakes that keep candidates out of consideration, sometimes unfairly but consistently. Background and environment: A messy background or bad light…
The moment you give a number first, you anchor the negotiation. The moment you refuse to give one, you risk seeming difficult. Here's how to navigate. Strategy 1: Deflect with a question "I'd love to understand the full…
First interview went great. They called back for a second. And somehow I was more nervous for the second one than the first. HerE's what I think happens: after a good first interview, you start wanting the job more. The…
After going through 20+ interviews this year, these are the questions that keep coming up. With notes on what interviewers are actually assessing. "Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager." They want to kno…
Final round interview, senior manager across the table. Everything going well. Then: "If I called your current manager right now, what would they say about you?" I froze. My relationship with my current manager was comp…
After saying "I'm a perfectionist" as a weakness approximately seven times across my career, I finally stopped. Here's why it's a bad answer: interviewers have heard it thousands of times and it reads as either dishones…
Most people ask surface-level questions in interviews. Here are the ones that reveal whether you actually want this job. On the role: - "What does success look like for someone in this role after 6 months?" - "What are…
Final round, four interviewers, went well, they said "we'll be in touch by Friday." Friday came and went. Then another week. Then silence. What I did: Sent a polite follow-up on the following Monday referencing my conve…
The "business professional" vs "business casual" ambiguity is real. Here's a practical guide by sector. Banking, finance, legal, accounting: Business formal. Men: suit or blazer + tie. Women: suit, formal dress, or coor…
Bank interviews in Malaysia are different from tech company interviews. After going through processes at 3 banks this year, here's what to prepare. Technical areas most tested: - Excel (yes, still very relevant, vlookup…
GLC interviews have a distinct character that's worth understanding before you walk in. Common format: Multi-stage processes with a written test or assessment centre component. PETRONAS, for example, uses a Problem Solv…
This question feels like a gift but most people use it wrong. They literally read their CV back out loud. That's not what the interviewer wants. What they actually want: - A coherent narrative: why did you make each maj…
Short answer: it depends on the company and role, but it matters more than most people think. Through a headhunter: - You get a human advocate who can brief you on the hiring manager's preferences - Negotiation is somew…
Career gaps are common and more accepted than they were 5 years ago. But many candidates still panic and either over-explain or make up something uncomfortable. Simple, honest framings that work: - "I took time off to c…
Technical round for a data engineering role. First question was about a specific Spark optimisation technique I had used but couldn't articulate clearly under pressure. Second question I genuinely didn't know. I could fe…
Applied, got through, didn't get the offer, but learned a lot. Sharing because there's very little Malaysia-specific content about this process. Round 1: Two case interviews, 45 minutes each. Both interviewers were Asso…
Malaysian banks and large GLCs love assessment centres for management associate and graduate programmes. Having done four of them, here's what the observers are actually watching. Group discussion: Contribution matters…